UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST

CALOOCAN

COLLEGE ENGINEERING
Experiment No. 7:

Carbon Residue Tests

Name of Student:
Francisco, Rome John S.
Name of Professor:
Engr. Edwin Bautista

Date of Performance:
September 16, 2014
Date of Submission:
September 22, 2014

EXPERIMENT NO. 7: CARBON RESIDUE TESTS

OBJECTIVES:
1. To be able to predict and study the carbon corpus deposits in lubricating oils.
2. To be able to have knowledge about carbon residue of a lubricating oils.
3. To be able to know the definition of a carbon residue test.
THEORY:
When an oil is heated to a high temperature in the absence of sufficient air a
portion of the oil will distill, thus leaving a carbon residue. The amount of this residue is
an index to the extent the oil is likely to decompose in service. Under engine-operating
conditions, the amount and type of the carbon formed has an important effect upon the
performance of the engine. While no maximum residue specifications for lubricating oils
are commonly given, a relatively smaller amount in one oil compared with another
should be favorable.
Carbon residue is what is left when lubricating oils is heated to high temperature
in the absence of a sufficient air. Most engine use lubricating oil in operation and the
type of carbon formed has an important effect upon performance. Although there is no
common given residue specification for lubricating oil, oil of relatively smaller amount of
residue should be favorable. The Conradson carbon residue tester is used to determine
the carbon residue of oil. It consist of porcelain crucible with a skidmore iron crucible
testing on layer of sand in the second larger iron crucible testing on layer of sand in the
second larger iron crucible, all of which are supported by a wire triangle and a tripod
surrounded by a sheet iron hood and chimney.
The Conradson Test for the amount of carbon in oil is accurate if test is properly
performed. Also through the experiment it was found out that the residue is very small
compared to the amount of other components in oil. Carbon residue test determine the
percentage of carbon that remains in a sample after the volatile vapors had been driven
off by heat.
APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT:
Conradson carbon residue tester, balance with a set of weights and Bunsen
burner
MATERIALS:
Lubricating oil (SAE 30 and SAE 40) and sand.

PROCEDURES:
Clean the porcelain crucible and weight to the nearest 5mg. Fill it with 10 grams
of oil sample and re-weigh to the same accuracy then place it to the skidmore crucible,
cover both crucible on the center of the wire triangle with the asbestos insulation on the
tripod. Cover the assembly with the sheet iron and apply heat with a strong flame by the
Bunsen burner so that the fire or the ore-ignition will be from 8.5 to 11.5 min. When
smoke appears in the chimney, move or tilt the burners so that the flame plays on the
sides of the crucible and ignites the oil vapors. Remove the burner momentarily and
adjust the flame above the chimney. Burning period is from 12 to 14 mins. When the
burning and smoking ceases, the burner is adjusted so that the bottom of the iron
crucible is heated to a cherry red for exactly 7 mins. Remove the burner and allow the
apparatus to cool for about 15 mins. Weigh the porcelain crucible and content. Repeat
the same procedure for the other oil sample.
TABULATED DATA:
Oil Samples
SAE 30

SAE 40
20.05 grams

Weight of Crucible

20.05 grams

Weight of Oil and

Crucible

30.05 grams

30.05 grams

Weight of Crucible and

Residue

20.28 grams

20.10 grams

Weight of Residue

0.23 grams

0.05 grams

Percentage of Residue

2.3 %

0.5 %

Table 1.1: Data from the experiment

%Residue=

Weight of Residue
100 ; where :weight of oil=10 grams
Weight of oil

SKETCHES AND DRAWINGS:

Figure 1.1: Conradson carbon residue tester (left) and its crucible (right)

Conradson carbon-residue tester is widely used in this country. It consist of a

porcelain crucible with a Skidmore iron crucible resting upon a layer of sand in a second
larger iron crucible, all of which are supported upon a wire triangle on a metal stand of
specified dimensions. The assembled tester is shown in the figure. The crucibles are
surrounded by an asbestos block and covered by a sheet-iron hood and chimney.

Figure 1.2: Single-pan balance

A weighing scale is a measuring instrument for determining the weight or mass of

an object. Weighing scales are used in many industrial and commercial applications,
and products from feathers to loaded tractor-trailers are sold by weight. Specialized
medical scales including infant medical scales, and bathroom scales are used to
measure the body weight of human beings.

Figure 1.3: Bunsen burner

A Bunsen burner is a common piece of laboratory equipment that produces a

single open gas flame, which is used for heating, sterilization, and combustion. The gas
can be natural gas (which is mainly methane) or a liquefied petroleum gas, such as
propane, butane, or a mixture of both.

Figure 1.4: SAE 30 and SAE 40

Oil can be defined as a chemical compound that will not mix with water and is in
a liquid state at ambient temperatures. Motor oils are derived from crude oil (petroleum
is literally "oil from stone"), with additives blended in to improve their properties, the
most important of which is viscosity (Ahmed & Nassar, 1995). It is used for lubrication of
various internal combustion engines. The main function is to reduce wear on moving
parts; it also cleans, inhibits corrosion, improves sealing, and cools the engine by
carrying heat away from moving parts.

REPORT:
1. Calculate the percentage of carbon residue on the basis of the original
sample weight.
2. Why the residue in this experiment incorrectly termed carbon residue?
3. Why is the rate of heating important in the test?
4. Draw using freehand the assembly drawing of Conradson carbon residue
tester with the burner flame.
ANSWERS TO REPORT:
1.
For SAE 30:
%Residue=

Weight of Residue
100
Weight of oil

0.23 grams
100
10 grams

%Residue=2.3

For SAE 40:

%Residue=

Weight of Residue
100
Weight of oil

0.05 grams
100
10 grams

%Residue=0.5

2.
A residue is that which is left over after part is taken away. The term
carbon residue is used throughout this test method to designate the
carbonaceous residue formed during evaporation and pyrolysis of the material.
The residue is not composed entirely of carbon, but is a coke which can be
further changed by pyrolysis. The term carbon residue is continued in this test
method only in deference to its wide common usage (American Society of
Testing Materials) .
3.
The rate of heating is important in the test because it is the basis of
observing the sample on what will happen on the time indicated in the
experiment. Changes undergo during the time interval specified in the test of
when smoke will appear, the fire will appear.

DISCUSSION:
In this experiment we need to predict and study the carbon corpus deposits in
lubricating oils. The method that is used in Conradson carbon residue test; It consist of
a porcelain crucible with a Skidmore iron crucible resting upon a layer of sand in a
second larger iron crucible, all of which are supported upon a wire triangle on a metal
stand of specified dimensions. The assembled tester is shown in the figure. The
crucibles are surrounded by an asbestos block and covered by a sheet-iron hood and
chimney.
Carbon residue is the residue formed by evaporation and thermal degradation of
carbon containing material. The residue is not composed entirely of carbon but is a coke
that can be further change by carbon pyrolysis (ASTM Committee D-2 on Petroleum
Products and Lubricants, 2003). Pyrolysis is a thermochemical decomposition of
organic material at elevated temperatures in the absence of oxygen or any halogen. It
involves the simultaneous change of chemical composition and physical phase, and it is
irreversible.
The experiment is started with weighing the porcelain crucible, the measurement
shows 20.05 grams, then filled with a 10 grams of sample oil (SAE 30) and weighed
again. The crucible is then placed in a skidmore crucible. There is a sand in the large

iron crucible and after that the skidmore crucible is covered, and the assembly of
crucibles is centered on a wire triangle with the asbestos insulation on a suitable ring
stand. The whole is covered with the sheet-iron hood. After the preparations it is applied
with heat flame coming from the Bunsen burner. After several minutes a black smoke
started to appear from the chimney, after that it started to ignite due to the oil vapor.
When the burning is done a white smoke started to show. The burner is removed and
the porcelain crucible is cooled for several minutes. Its contents are reweighed, and the
percentage of carbon residue is calculated on the basis of the original sample weight.
The same procedure is applied to the other sample (SAE 40).

The Conradson Test for the amount of carbon in oil is accurate if test is properly
performed. Also through the experiment it was found out that Carbon residue is very
small compared to the amount of other components in oil. Carbon residue test
determine the percentage of carbon that remains in a sample after the volatile vapors
had been driven off by heat.
CONCLUSION:
In this experiment we able to observe how the carbon residue is extract from the
lubricant oil. The results shown in experiment tells that SAE 40 has small percent
residue rather than SAE 30. It indicates that the oil SAE 40 will likely deposit small
amount of carbon around piston heads, piston rings, and valve seats. Using the oil SAE
30 would deposit large amount of carbon in the system based on the data.
I believe the results we gathered from the experiment gives us more knowledge
to choose what kind of lubricant that should be used in engines or other machines.
Using the Conradson carbon residue test we are able to determine the percentage of
carbon that remains in a sample after the oil vapors had been driven by continued
heating.
REFERENCES:
Ahmed, N., & Nassar, A. (1995). Lubricating Oil Additives. Egypt: Egyptian Petroleum Research
Institute.
American Society of Testing Materials. (n.d.). Standard Test Method for Ramsbottom Carbon
Residue of Petroleum Products. United States: ASTM International.
ASTM Committee D-2 on Petroleum Products and Lubricants. (2003). The Significance of Tests
of Petroleum Products: A Report. Bridgeport: ASTM International.